Not Your Everyday Mushroom

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

Last summer, in Switzerland, I nearly drove my boyfriend off the road. Something had caught my eye as we wended up the hairpin turns leading to the slopes of Verbier in the Swiss Alps. I couldn’t help it, I squealed in delight craning my neck to get a better look. Luckily, John managed to pull the car over to the shoulder without sending us over the edge.

What had I seen that sent me into a fit of excitement? Fresh baskets of chanterelles.

Okay, I know a chanterelle is a mushroom. Aside from the revered truffle, mushrooms aren’t exactly the sexiest food. They are fungus after all, a word we associate more with unpleasant disease than divine edible.

But some of these fungi are exceptional and, I would argue, deserve a place among our most highly vaunted culinary treasures. Chanterelles are one of them.

Part of the appeal of certain mushrooms is their elusive nature. Morels, chanterelles, truffles--these fungi cannot be cultivated, just grown in some farm. No, they must be found.

And they are not easy to find! It was not every day I saw piles of rust colored chanterelles laid out on a roadside table as casual as any lemonade stand, as I did in Switzerland. At the equivalent of US$20 for a large basket I couldn’t say they were inexpensive. But compared to what I would pay back home this was a definite bargain.

Finding chanterelles in Switzerland was a surprise but somehow it seemed all just part of the bucolic, cowbell covered landscape. It was more surprising then to see chanterelles show up recently in my local market at a far lower price than I was used to seeing them. I did not waste any time scooping up a half pound to play around with at home.

All mushrooms are known to impart an umami filled earthiness to dishes. Some, like portobellos, are meaty, others, like enoki, are delicate. Chanterelles fall somewhere in the middle on texture, a nice chewiness without too much excess watery bulk. As for the flavor, all I can say is that for me it is intoxicating.

I find that chanterelles deserve a big place in a dish, not chopped up small as filler. That being said, “big” can simply be cutting them in half and adding to rice for a fragrant side dish. They are divine when sautéed with caramelized mushrooms and stuffed into a grilled cheese sandwich.

For a quick lunch I might sauté them and add as a filling for an omelet along with leftover greens from the night before, like I recently did with chopped up dandelion greens. Chanterelles can even lift up a basic summer salad. Fried in a bit of olive oil they make a distinctive topping for mixed greens, thinly sliced squash, and an herbal vinaigrette.

You don’t need to go to Switzerland to enjoy the enchanting taste of a good pile of chanterelles. But because they can be a bit pricey, make sure on the occasion you find them to put them to very good use. The meal does not have to be complicated; an omelet will do just fine. Whatever you do, give the modest mushroom the generous treatment it deserves.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions
• 1 sprig thyme
• OR
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 pound chanterelle mushrooms
• salt and pepper
• 8 slices country bread
• 6 ounces gruyere, raclette, or other melting cheese